Interbike 2009: Indoor Report #6

Okay, this should about clear out everything news worthy from the show at Las Vegas, Nevada. But that doesn’t mean I’m through just yet! We’ve got “Best of Show” to do yet and all the ride impressions from the Outdoor Demo are still headed your way as well.

As I have written, there seemed to be a lot of “monstercross-ish”, all ’rounder type rigs on display this year at Interbike. This was found in Marin’s display. The bike is set up as a disc only rig and looked to have generous tire clearances.

We were really blessed to have c_g, our European correspondent, reviewing the Gato for us before it was released. Now I have seen it with my own eyes and I will say that the tread blocks are indeed aggressive and widely spaced for digging into loose stuff. The width looks great, (the show sample was mounted to an impossibly narrow rim, masking it’s true look on a proper wide rim), and I am stoked to try a set out. Look for a test report from Stateside soon.

Rocky Mountain pulled a fast one and introduced a second model of the Vertex hard tail at Interbike. The frame is the same as the higher spec’ed Vertex with the spec on this model being almost completely Shimano Deore.

Rawland Cycles introduced the stunning Drakkar frame and fork at Interbike. Rawland is not necessarily pidgeon holing themselves as a 650B company, but rather a company that builds great frames for all around cycling that have a ton of versatility built into them. For instance, the Drakkar can fit 2.3 650B tires, or these 1.8 29″er tires with ease. geared or single speed, well, you get the idea.

Check out the stainless drop outs and the detailing inspired by Norse heritage. Also, the frame is built from double butted Columbus Zona tubing that features tight welds and a classic feel to the ride. The extended head tube makes setting the frame up with drops a breeze. This is right up there with the best looking big wheeler of the show for me. (Stay tuned to see who pulls off the win in my next post.)

Rawland Cycles also introduced the cartoonish, but interesting “Antler” bar, seen here with their “Elgokse” stem on a Ravn. The Antler is a take off on a mustache bar that accepts mtb controls. It is 70cm measured across from tip to tip! It makes you laugh when you see it for its outlandish proportions, but once you sit on the bike and grab the bars, the intentions of the design become clear. It has a ton of positions, and a ton of leverage for standing climbs. Probably not the first choice for bombing through a stand of aspens, the Antler does look like a perfect townie, long ride, fire road, and gravel back roads sort of set up where getting through tight spots isn’t a big concern. That doesn’t mean it won’t single track, as the bar was tested that way, but 70cm is nothing to sneeze at!

The Ravn again showing the bar on there and with the Elgokse stem, which is Rawland’s take on a Bull Moose type bar. All Rawlands are coming now with metallic painted finishes which really takes things up a notch on these classically inspired frame sets.

Turner Bikes had a bare Sultan frame on display and it was interesting to get a good up close and personal look at the DW Linkage on the bike. As you can see, the distance between the lower linkages was minimized in a unique way. Built up, the bike looks like an old elevated chain stay hard tail from the 90′s. (Well, sort of!) I regretted the fact that everytime I checked out Turner’s Outdoor Demo booth all the Sultan 29″ers were out being ridden, so I still have not had the chance to ride one as yet. I suppose that speaks well to the ride, if they can’t seem to keep any around at demos though!

Duro Tire, which has quietly been making tires for others, is now trying to make its own name in the U.S. market. They already have one 29″er tire out, the Miner 29er, but now are adding these two new designs. The one is called the Gremlin 29er and features blocky knobs that are ramped in the middle for better rolling. The other is called the matador and is aimed at loose over hard pack situations and rocky terrain. Both feature 60 durometer rubber that feels much tackier. These are available now through Duro and possibly through other channels in the near future. MSRP is $36.00 each. Also, we were told to be on the lookout for a couple more 29″er treads from Duro soon.

That’s a wrap on my Indoor coverage of the Interbike trade show for 2009. I hope you all enjoyed it. Look for the “Best of Show” report coming up next and Grannygear and I are compiling our detailed Outdoor Demo reports now, which should appear next week.